to play with a full deck
- idiom
- Informal
:
estar en sus cabales
- If you think he doesn't play with a full deck, you're mistaken.
Examples
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Despite his unusual sense of humor, he definitely plays with a full deck.
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Some doubted her, but she proved she could play with a full deck under pressure.
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He definitely plays with a full deck!
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Does she play with a full deck?
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Everyone agrees that he is playing with a full deck; he always makes sensible decisions.
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It is clear she is playing with a full deck, as her arguments are logical and well thought out.
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After discussing his ideas, I realized he is definitely playing with a full deck and knows what he wants.
Synonyms
119
3.2
Having a healthy mind and able to think clearly
Antonyms
How Sane
Surface Forms
Morphology
Literally the words describe having a complete pack of cards ('full deck'), but mapping that idea onto mental completeness (being sane) is a culture-specific metaphor rather than a straightforward compositional meaning. A B1 learner who knows the constituent words would not reliably infer the idiomatic sense without prior exposure, so the relation is partially transparent but requires figurative knowledge.
Etymology
Play with a full deck comes from the image of a card player using a complete set of cards, a full deck. If a player was missing cards and could not play properly, people began to say someone plays with a full deck to mean they are 'sane' and can think clearly.